At least 43 people have died after inhaling toxic fumes during an illegal petroleum siphoning operation in Nigeria’s southern Rivers State, authorities confirmed on Thursday.
The incident occurred around midnight at Okari Jetty in the Okrika Local Government Area, where a vessel was reportedly loading petroleum products for export, reports Anadolu.
According to local residents who spoke to Anadolu, more than 200 youths from Okrika and neighbouring communities arrived at the jetty in wooden boats and attempted to siphon petroleum products from an illegally connected tapping point on a pipeline linked to the facility.
The individuals were quickly overwhelmed by highly concentrated fumes while loading the product into their boats. Several lost consciousness, while some reportedly fell into the river and drowned.
Police spokesperson Blessing Agabe said investigations were underway to determine the gravity of the incident.
The heavy casualties were confirmed by the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), an environmental and human rights organisation based in the Niger Delta.
Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, said the victims had allegedly connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline that transports petroleum products from the Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals area through the Port Harcourt refinery corridor to vessels loading products for export.
He said the product was being pumped through the pipeline at high pressure while the youths simultaneously loaded it into their waiting boats, exposing them to lethal fumes.
Fyneface added that bodies were spotted floating on the river and several other people remained missing.
The tragedy highlights the persistent dangers associated with illegal oil bunkering and petroleum theft in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
Security agencies have continued operations against crude theft, illegal refining and the illicit transportation of petroleum products in Rivers State and neighbouring territories.
As part of the operations, Nigerian troops reported dismantling 10 illegal refining sites in April and arresting nine suspected oil thieves across Rivers, Delta and Akwa Ibom states. The military also recovered more than 130,000 litres of stolen crude oil and over 26,000 litres of automotive gas oil.
On August 28, the Nigerian Navy dismantled two further illegal refining sites in Rivers State and recovered 34,000 litres of suspected illegally refined automotive gas oil.
